Pasta noodle packaging apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for removing lasagne noodles from the stripper of a high production pasta oven and packaging the noodles in a continuous processing line. The output of the stripper is split and directed along separate paths whereby the rate at which product is discharged to each path is reduced in half, as compared to conventional strippers. Conveyors transfer the respective split components of the stripper output away from the stripper and through successive accumulator, inspection and sawing stations. After departing from the sawing stations, the noodles are shingled into sub-components of a predetermined number of noodles and these sub-components are then displaced into containers for final packaging.

RELATED APPLICATION

This is a division of application Ser. No. 827,736 filed Aug. 25, 1977,now U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,081.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved apparatus and method forconveying lasagne noodles from the stripper of a high production pastaoven in such a manner that the noodles may be continuously processedthrough a packaging line, without interruption.

In its more specific aspects, the invention is concerned with apackaging line wherein the output of the stripper is divided in half inorder to reduce the speed at which the product is delivered through theline.

The high production oven and the associated stripper with which theapparatus and method of the present invention is used may vary indesign. Such ovens and strippers are well known in the prior art and theinvention is not intended to be limited to use with any particular ovenor stripper. Typically, the ovens carry noodles draped over long sticks.In one oven with which the present invention is used, each stick carries36 noodles, 2 inches wide and 20 inches long, on a side. The stickscarry the noodles so as to be spaced about one-half inch from oneanother and the oven discharges the sticks to the stripper at a rate ofnine sticks per minute. Thus, the stripper discharges noodles at a rateof 324 pieces per minute, each of which pieces comprises a folded overelement having two 20-inch long sides. If the noodles produced at thisrate are reduced to 10-inch long sections, the total of 1,296 pieces perminute are produced.

The high production rate of the prior art ovens and strippers hasnecessitated that packaging operations be discontinuous in the sensethat it has been necessary to physically remove noodles from theproduction line during stripper operation in order that these noodlesmight be stored and then later processed for packaging. Suchdiscontinuous operation has been necessary because of the physicallimitations on the rate at which noodles may be cut to size, grouped inpredetermined counts for packaging and, ultimately, packaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In its broadest aspects, the present invention is concerned with amethod and apparatus for slowing down the rate at which noodlesdischarged from a high production oven and associated stripper must behandled and for providing for the continuous handling of such noodles,without interruption. The principal feature enabling the slowed-downhandling operation is the provision of a splitter within the stripper todivide the stripper output in half and direct the respective halves toseparate processing paths. Thus splitting the output enables the productspeed within the processing line to be reduced in half, as compared toconventional processing lines wherein the entire stripper output isdirected through a single path.

The continuous processing provided by the present invention is alsofacilitated by the provision of accumulator conveyors within theprocessing line to further slow down the rate of movement of noodles;slightly higher speed inspection conveyors within the processing line toreceive the noodles from the accumulator conveyors and, at leastpartially, spread the noodles for inspection; and, sizing saws disposedto receive the output from the inspection conveyors, saw the noodles tolength, and direct the noodles for continued processing within the line.In the preferred embodiment, the sizing saws perform the first noodlecutting function within the line. Thus, the noodles remain in thegenerally U-shaped configuration which they assumed when draped over therods in the oven until such time as they reach the sizing saws.Maintaining this configuration gives the line more tolerance fornon-uniform or crooked noodles.

It is, accordingly, a principal object of the present invention toprovide a lasagne noodle packaging line wherein the entire output of ahigh production oven and associated stripper may be continuallyprocessed, without interruption.

Another and more specific object of the invention is to provide such aline wherein the rate at which noodles must be handled is reduced inhalf by splitting the output of the stripper.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a packaging linewith accumulator and inspection conveyor sections which first slow downthe rate of progress of the noodles and then spread the noodles forinspection.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved saw forincorporation into a noodle processing line, which saw is adapted to beincorporated into the line downstream of the stripper.

Still another and more general object of the invention is to provide apackaging line for conveying lasagne noodles from the stripper of a highproduction oven in an orderly manner with the noodles so spread thatinspection and automated handling is facilitated.

The foregoing and other objects will become more apparent from theaccompanying drawings and following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view diagrammatically showing the line of thepresent invention at the discharge end of a high production noodle oven;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a segment of a line, altered from that shown inFIG. 1 in that the output from the stripper is directed in a straightline;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a segment of a line, altered from thatillustrated in FIG. 1, in that the output from the stripper is directedthrough a generally S-shaped curve;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional elevational view, taken through the stripperat the discharge end of the oven and illustrating the platform andconveyors employed to split the output of the stripper;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the stripper;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the stripper, taken onthe plane designated by the Line 6--6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the accumulator and inspection sections of oneside of the line;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the accumulator andinspection sections, taken on the plane designated by Line 8--8 of FIG.7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane designated by Line9--9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional plan view of the saw employed in the lineof the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane designated by LineII--II of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the shingler and counting mechanism employedin the line;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional elevational view taken on the planedesignated by Line 13--13 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the packaging apparatus incorporated into theline of the present invention; and,

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane designated by Line15--15 of FIG. 14.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1, the high production oven therein is designatedin its entirety by the numeral 10 and is shown discharging to a stripper12. The stripper incorporates receiving platforms 14 and 16 to eitherside of the longitudinal center line thereof, designated 18, andstripper conveyors 20 and 22 are associated with the respectiveplatforms, 14 and 16, to discharge noodles to either side of thestripper.

The stripper and its associated platforms and conveyors form the firstsegment of the processing line forming the subject of the presentinvention. The line, as can be seen from FIG. 1, is divided into twosubstantially identical sections, each of which receives one-half of theoutput of the stripper. For purposes of simplification, correspondingelements of the two sections will be identified by like numerals and thefollowing detailed description will only deal with one of the sections.

The stripper conveyors discharge onto transfer conveyors 24 which, inthe FIG. 1 embodiment, include curved plate conveyor segments 26 and 28and straight belt conveyor segments 30. The transfer conveyors aredriven at substantially the same speed as the stripper conveyors and, inthe FIG. 1 embodiment, the inner and outer plate conveyors 26 and 28,respectively, are so driven as to have substantially the same angularvelocity in order that noodles carried thereby will remain generallynormal to the direction of travel of the conveyors. The belt conveyorsegments 30 overlap with the plate conveyors 26 and 28 in order that thetransfer to the belt conveyor segments may be continuous.

From the transfer conveyors 24, the noodles are directed, in succession,to: accumulator conveyors 32; inspection conveyors 34; saw stations 36;dividing conveyors 38; shingling and counting stations 40; shiftingstations 42; and, packaging stations 44. In one example, employing anoven and stripper for the capacity described in the foregoing Backgroundof the Invention, the conveyors 24 move at 82 feet/minute, the conveyors32 move at 27 feet/minute; the conveyors 34 move at 40 feet/minute; andthe conveyors within the saw stations move at 45 feet/minute. At thesespeeds, the noodles discharge from the stripper in groups at about 3second intervals, with successive groups received on the respectiveconveyors 24 being spaced by about 54 inches. It should be understood,however, that these speeds can be varied to meet production demans, upto the limit of the system. For example, with the system shown, therespective speeds could be varied by about plus or minus 25 percent.This would mean that the transfer conveyors 24 could be driven at a rateof from 60 to 105 feet per minute, the accumulator conveyors 32 could bedriven at a speed from 20 to 35 feet per minute, the separation andinspection conveyors 34 could be driven at a speed from 30 to 50 feetper minute, and the saw station conveyors could be driven at a speed offrom 33 to 57 feet per minute. In the preferred embodiment, it has beenfound that the ratio of transfer conveyor speed to accumulator conveyorspeed should be about 3 to 1 and that the ratio of separation andinspection conveyor speed to accumulator conveyor speed should be about1.5 to 1. These ratios result in accumulation of the noodles on theaccumulator conveyors to close up the space between successive groups ofnoodles and adjacent noodles within the groups, and at least partialspreading of the noodles on the inspection conveyors. Thus, theaccumulator conveyors and the inspection conveyors function to furtherslow down the rate at which noodles are conveyed. As a result of closingup of the space between adjacent noodles on the accumulator conveyor,adjacent noodles which may be FIG. 1 in that the transfer conveyorunloads from the stripper conveyor in a straight line, thus avoiding thenecessity of curved plate conveyor segments, such as the segments 26 and28.

FIG. 3 illustrates another modified transfer conveyor, designated 24b,which might be used as an alternate to the transfer conveyors of FIG. 1.The transfer conveyor of FIG. 3 differs from that of FIG. 1 only in thatit has a double curve and resultant semi-S shape. Although notillustrated in detail, it should be understood that the double curvewould be provided by curved plate conveyor segments similar to thesegments 26 and 28.

The choice of whether the FIG. 1, 2, or 3 transfer conveyors, or acombination of these conveyors, would be used, would depend upon thelayout of the plant within which the line is installed. The differentconveyor arrangements shown in these figures are not intended to alterthe basic mode of operation of the line. They are simply provided inorder that line might be directed to accommodate the different plantlayouts.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate a stripper in combination with the receivingplatforms and stripper conveyors of the present invention. The stripperis of conventional construction and forms no part of the invention. Itis anticipated that other conventional strippers might be employed. Asillustrated, the stripper is shown at the discharge end of the oven 10and a plurality of noodle carrying rods or sticks 46 are shownaccumulated for transfer by the stripper. In operation, the strippersuccessively carries the rods 46 through the path indicated by thedashed line 48. When the rods and the noodles carried thereby reach therighthand extremity, as viewed in FIG. 4, jaws 50 are actuated to engagethe noodles and, with continued movement of the rods 46, the noodles arestripped therefrom. The jaws are selectively actuated by pneumaticcylinders 52. The solid and phantom lines shown in FIG. 4 illustrate theextremities of movement of the jaws. FIG. 4 also shows a guide shelf 54which forms part of the conventional stripper structure.

The receiving platforms 14 are mounted beneath the stripper 12 onparallel linkages for movement between the elevated and retractedpositions illustrated, respectively, by the solid and phantom linerepresentations in FIG. 6. The linkages are supported on a framework 56and comprise: upright links 58 journaled medially the ends thereof tothe framework 56 by journals 60; and lower links 62 pivotally secured tothe lower ends of the upright links. The upper ends of the upright links58 are pivotally secured to the plates 14. The centrally disposedupright links to either side of the center line of the stripper aresecured together by an arm 64 fixed for rotation with one of the linksand a link 66 pivotally secured between said arm and the other of thecentrally disposed upright links. A double-acting pneumatic cylinder 68is coupled between the framework 56 and the upright links to one side ofthe stripper (i.e., the left side as viewed in FIG. 6). Expansion andretraction of the cylinder 68 functions, respectively, to lift and lowerthe plates 14. During the lowering operation, the plates to either sideof the center line 18 spread and, thus, separate the noodles supportedthereon. When in the lowered position, the plates are beneath the levelof the upper reaches of the stripper conveyors 20 and 22 and, thus, anynoodles supported on the plates when the plates move to the lowerposition are deposited on said reaches.

Conveyors 20 and 22 each comprise closed loop belts supported on sheavesmounted on the framework 56. The sheaves for the inner ends of the beltsare rotatably supported on a common shaft 69 and, thus, said inner endsoverlap. The sheaves for the outer ends of the belts are keyed to andsupported on shafts 70 and 72 driven for rotation in the directionsindicated by the curved arrow lines in FIG. 6.

In operation, the stripper conveyors 20 and 22 are continually drivenand the platforms 14 are intermittently moved up and down insynchronization with the stripper. The synchronized operation of theplatforms is such that the platforms are in the elevated noodlereceiving position during the process wherein the strippers aredepositing the noodles and are moved to the lower position at the end ofthis process. Upon moving to the lower position, the platforms move thenoodles outwardly and downwardly into engagement with the stripperconveyors. Once on the stripper conveyors, the conveyors discharge thenoodles out of the stripper and onto the transfer conveyors 24. FromFIG. 5, it will be seen that the transfer conveyors overlap with thestripper conveyors in order that there is a smooth transition of thenoodles from the stripper conveyors to the transfer conveyors.

In the drawings, the noodles are designated by the letter N. From FIG.4, it will be seen that each noodle initially comprises a noodle blankdraped over the rod 46 therefor. Each blank has two sides connectedtogether by a loop which initially extends around the support rod. Inthe preferred embodiment, the blank remains in a condition where thesides thereof are secured together by the loop until such time as theblanks are sawed within the saw stations 36.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate one side of the line from the discharge end ofthe transfer conveyor 24 to the inlet end of the saw station 36. As maybe seen from FIG. 8, the conveyors over this length are supported on aframework 74. This framework mounts drive motors 76 and 78 beneath theconveyors. The motor 76 drives the plate conveyor segments 26 and 28 andthe belt conveyor segments 30 of the transfer conveyor 24 and the motor78 drives the accumulator conveyor 32. Chain drives 80 and 82 areprovided to drive the plate conveyors 26 and 28, respectively, in orderthat said conveyors move at the same angular velocity. A chain drive 84drives the belt conveyor 30. The accumulator conveyor 32 is driven fromthe motor 78 through means of a chain drive 86.

FIGS. 7 and 8 also show a floating bar 88 supported above the trailingend of the belts 30 and the entire length of the accumulator conveyor32. This bar is provided to slidably engage the upper surfaces of thenoodles supported on the conveyors and it is free to float up and down.Its purpose is to engage the noodles so as to prevent overlapping of thenoodles in case the noodles are badly distorted.

The belts of the accumulator conveyor are designated by the numerals 90and are supported on shafts 92 and 94 through means of sheaves. Thesheaves on the shaft 92 are free to rotate relative thereto and thisshaft also carries sheaves for the belts 30. The ends of the belts 30opposite those supported on the shaft 92 are driven by sheaves keyed toa shaft 96 driven by the chain drive 84. The sheaves for the belts 90supported on the shaft 94 are keyed to the shaft in order that saidsheaves may be driven by the chain drive 86. The shaft 94 also rotatablysupports sheaves for the belts, designated 98, of the separation andinspection conveyors 34. The ends of the belts 98 opposite thosesupported on the shaft 94 are supported on a shaft 100 through means ofsheaves keyed to the shaft. The shaft 100 is driven by a motor 102through means of chain drive 104. FIGS. 7 and 8 also depict the mannerin which the noodles spread as they are transferred from the accumulatorconveyor 32 to the inspection conveyor 34. This results from theincreased speed at which the inspection conveyor is driven, as comparedto that of the accumulator conveyor.

The centering mechanism used to center the noodles are they are movedfrom the inspection conveyor to the saw station may be seen at therighthand ends of FIGS. 7 and 8. This mechanism is designated in itsentirety by the numeral 106 and comprises: vertically disposed closedloop belts 108; sheaves 110 and 112 supporting said belts so as todefine a converging mouth with the open end of the mouth having a widthappreciably greater than the length of the noodles and the necked-downinner end of the mouth having a width only slightly greater than thewidth of the noodles; and, a belt 114 driven by the shaft 100 to, inturn, drive the sheaves 110 through a shaft 116. The latter drivearrangement drives the belts 108 at the same speed as the belts 98.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate, in detail, the saw station 36. The stationcomprises: a tunnel box 118; four toothed conveyor belts 120 extendinglongitudinally through the tunnel box, said belts being supported at oneend on sheaves 122 (see FIG. 7) keyed to the shaft 100 and at the otherend by sheaves 124 supported on shaft 126; four weighting chains 128extending above the outermost of the belts 120 in longitudinal alignmenttherewith, said chains being supported at one end by sprockets 130 keyedto a support shaft 132 and at the other end by sprockets 134 keyed to asupport shaft 136; a drive chain 138 for driving the shafts 132 and 136in unison so that the lower reaches of the chains 128 move at the samerate as the upper reaches of the belts 120; a pair of circular end cutsaws 140 mounted on shafts 142 driven by electric motors 144, saidmotors being mounted for selective adjustment toward and away from eachother as indicated by the arrow lines in FIG. 10; a center cut circularsaw 146 mounted downstream of the saws 140; and, a drive motor 148coupled in driving engagement with the saw 146 by a belt drive 150.

In operation, noodle blanks discharging from the inspection conveyor 34are centered by the mechanism 106 and drawn into the saw station by thetoothed conveyor belts 120. The end cut saws 140 function to cut theends off of the noodle blanks, thus removing the loops connecting theopposite sides of the blanks and forming two noodles from each blank.After being thus cut, the noodles continue to be drawn through thestation by the toothed belts 120 and, upon being drawn beneath thecenter cut saw 146, the blanks are cut in half. During the entirecutting operation, the noodles are held down by the lower reaches of theweighting belts 128. These reaches are of sufficient length that thebelts sag into engagement with the noodles under the influence ofgravity. Ultimately, the noodles discharge from the downstream end ofthe tunnel box 118 (i.e., the righthand end as viewed in FIGS. 10 and11).

Adjustment of the end cut saws toward and away from each other providesmeans whereby the lengths of the noodles may be adjusted to control thefinal packaged product weight. Although a center cut saw is incorporatedinto the preferred embodiment of the saw station, it should beunderstood that where long noodles are desired, this saw could beomitted.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate the apparatus for conveying the noodlesections from the saw station, and shingling the noodle sections intogroups of a predetermined count. The conveyor mechanism for conveyingthe sections from the saw station comprises a pair of closed loop plateconveyors 152 extending at one end into the saw station 136 and at theother end into the shingler mechanism. The ends of the plate conveyorswithin the station 36 are supported on sprockets mounted on the shaft154. The ends of the plate belts within the shingler and countingmechanism are supported on sprockets mounted on a shaft 156. In thepreferred embodiment, the plate conveyors are driven to move at the samespeed as the toothed conveyor belt 120 within the saw station.

The shingling and counting station 40 is comprised of two mechanismscorresponding substantially to that illustrated and described in mycopending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 794,439, filed May 6, 1977.One such mechanism is disposed at the discharge end of each of the plateconveyors 152. The mechanisms each comprise: upstream conveyor belts158; downstream conveyor belts 160 disposed beneath the discharge endsof the upstream belts 158 so as to receive noodle segments therefrom; alight source 162 and associated photo sensor 164 disposed to detectnoodle segments which drop from the upstream belt 158 to the downstreambelt 160; an air nozzle 166 disposed to direct a jet of air against thenoodle segments as they drop from the upstream belt to the downstreambelt so as to flip said segments over; and, counting mechanismassociated with the photo sensor 164 and a drive for the downstream belt160 so as to move said belt intermittently whereby noodle segmentsreceived on said belt are grouped in groups of a predetermined packagecount. The detailed structure and mode of operation of the shingling andcounting station will be better appreciated when viewed in light of mycopending application Ser. No. 794,439.

The shifting stations 42 are disposed at, and incorporated into, thedownstream ends of the shingling and counting stations 40. Each shiftingstation comprises the downstream ends of the conveyors 160 and apackaging bundle conveyor 168 disposed intermediate said downstreamends. In operation, operators stand to the outside of the downstreamconveyors 160 and physically lift the precounted groups of noodles onthe conveyors 160 from these conveyors and place them into pockets 170defined by spaced upright barrier members carried by the conveyor 168.The curved arrow line in FIG. 12 leading from the lower conveyor 160 tothe package bundle conveyor 168 is intended to depict the path throughwhich a group of noodles moves as it is physically lifted from theconveyor 160 to the conveyor 168.

The arrow line on the conveyor 168 in FIG. 12 depicts the direction oftravel of the upper reach of the conveyor and the pockets carriedthereby.

FIG. 14 illustrates the end of the packaging bundle conveyor 168downstream from that portion of the conveyor shown in FIG. 12 andfurther shows the packaging station 44 associated with the conveyor. Thepackaging station comprises: a box machine 174 of the type adapted tocontain a magazine of folded carton blanks and direct these blanks intoopen condition; a carton conveyor 176 adapted to receive cartons,designated C, from the box machine in open-ended condition aligned withthe pockets of the package bundle conveyor 168, said carton conveyorbeing driven to move in alignment with, and at the same rate as, thepackage bundle conveyor; an intermediate guide conveyor 178 disposedbetween the package bundle conveyor 168 and the carton conveyor 176 andmoving in unison with said conveyors, said guide conveyor having guidepockets disposed at one end in alignment with the pockets of the packagebundle conveyor and at the other end in alignment with the cartons Ccarried by the carton conveyor 176; a pusher mechanism 180 having aclosed loop chain 182 carrying pushers 184 disposed for alignment withand movement through the pockets 170 of the package bundle conveyor andthe aligned pockets 180 of the intermediate guide conveyor to pushnoodles within the pockets 170 from the pockets and into the cartons C,said chain 182 being driven in unison with the package bundle conveyor168 and the intermediate guide conveyor 178 by a drive mechanism (notillustrated); and, a flap closing and sealing mechanism 186 to close thecartons C after the noodles have been injected thereinto by the pushers184.

The packaging station 44 has been shown in relatively diagrammatic formbecause it is intended primarily to illustrate that the presentinvention provides a continuous packaging line extending from thestripper to the boxing mechanism. The details of the packaging stationdo not, by themselves, form part of the present invention.

CONCLUSION

From the foregoing detailed description, it is believed apparent thatthe present invention enables the attainment of the objects initiallyset forth herein. In particular, the invention provides a continuouspackaging line for elongate pasta noodles wherein the output of thestripper is split and the noodles are handled in a continuous andorderly manner facilitating their continuous handling by automatedapparatus. It should be understood, however, that the invention is notintended to be limited to the specifics of the embodiment hereinillustrated and described, but rather is defined by the accompanyingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. In combination with a stripper for strippingelongate pasta noodles from a high production pasta oven, an improvedmethod for continuously packaging the output of the oven, said methodcomprising: dividing the output of the stripper into at least twocomponents and directing said components along separate paths; conveyingthe respective components away from the stripper along separate pathswith the elongate dimension of the noodles extending transversely of thedirection of travel, said conveying step being carried out to firstconvey noodles away from the stripper at relatively high speed, thendecrease the speed of conveyance to permit the noodles to accumulate andthen increase the speed of conveyance to at least partially separate thenoodles; separating the respective components into sub-components of apreselected number of noodles; and, individually packaging thesub-components.
 2. In a combination according to claim 1, the improvedmethod further comprising cutting the noodles to a predetermined lengthintermediate the steps of conveying the respective components andseparating the respective components into sub-components.
 3. Incombination with a stripper for stripping elongate pasta noodles from ahigh production pasta oven, the improvement comprising: receiving meansat the stripper to collect the output of noodles from the stripper,divide the output of noodles so collected into at least two componentsand direct said components along separate paths; conveyor means toreceive the respective components and separately convey said componentswith the elongate dimension of the noodles extending transversely to thedirection of travel, said conveyor means including an accumulatorsection for slowing down the speed of noodles conveyed by the conveyormeans and an inspection section for receiving noodles from theaccumulator section and increasing the speed of conveyance thereofsufficiently to at least partially separate the respective noodles; andpackaging means disposed in receiving relationship to the conveyor meansto separately receive the respective components therefrom, divide thesecomponents into sub-components of a preselected number of noodles andindividually package the sub-components.
 4. In a combination accordingto claim 3, the improvement further comprising saw means disposedintermediate the inspection section and packaging means to cut thenoodles to predetermined length.
 5. In a combination according to claim4, the improvement wherein the saw means cuts the ends from the noodlesand cuts the noodles medially of the ends.
 6. In a combination accordingto claim 3, the improvement wherein the packaging means comprises, foreach component received thereby from the conveyor means: a shingler forcounting the noodles into shingled sub-components of a predeterminednumber; an intermediate packaging conveyor for conveying thesub-components along a path extending normal to the longitudinaldimension of the noodles while maintaining said sub-components separatefrom one another; a container carrying conveyor extending parallel toand along one side of the intermediate conveyor; and displacement meansalong the side of the intermediate conveyor opposite the containercarrying conveyor, said displacement means being operable to displacesub-components from the intermediate conveyor into containers carried bythe container carrying conveyor.
 7. In a combination according to claim6, the improvement further comprising: saw means disposed intermediatethe inspection and packaging means to cut the noodles to predeterminedlength.